The Energy Planning and Inventory Commission’s (EPIC’s) work follows five commitments.

EPIC begins with an accurate account of what Kentucky has and what is actually happening: existing generation, fuel supply, transmission, load, and the projects moving through the queue. Everything else depends on this being correct. The Kentucky Energy Dashboard tracks announced or proposed large-load facilities across every service territory in the Commonwealth. The statute gives EPIC the authority to require data from state agencies and to require records from any utility proposing to retire a generating unit.

Energy infrastructure takes years to build and decades to pay for. EPIC works on that timeline. The Kentucky Energy Adequacy Plan tests Kentucky’s supply against a range of demand futures rather than a single forecast, and is built through three standing technical committees whose members come from the utilities, industries, and institutions that hold the underlying data. EPIC partners with Dr. Michael W. Clark, Director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics and a former Chief Economist for the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission, on demand forecasting, and with Dr. Lawrence Holloway, Kentucky Utilities Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and former Director of the Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky, on primary energy supply.

There is no option without costs. EPIC examines what each path would require, what it would deliver, and who would bear the expense, without favoring a predetermined outcome. In a retirement review, the statute requires EPIC to address seven specific questions, including available alternatives, local economic impacts, and the potential effects on Kentucky’s ability to accommodate future growth. EPIC completed its first proposed retirement review, examining the Reid combustion turbine on the Big Rivers Electric system, in 128 days.

Work that only an engineer can read is work that will not get used. EPIC writes for local, state, and federal officials and for the public. EPIC Report No. 2026-001 examined how the cost of serving large data center loads should be allocated between new customers and existing ratepayers. The Community Readiness Toolkit gives county and city officials a practical framework for evaluating large electric load projects brought to their communities.

Decisions affecting Kentucky’s grid and its ratepayers are increasingly made in regional and federal forums. The statute gives EPIC’s Executive Director and Executive Committee standing to intervene in any proceeding before the Kentucky Public Service Commission. The agency also participates in proceedings at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and follows the capacity, interconnection, and transmission planning processes of the regional transmission organizations operating in Kentucky.

How EPIC Fits into Kentucky’s Energy Landscape

EPIC adds a statewide view. It does not take over anyone else’s job.

Utilities plan and operate their own systems and remain responsible for serving their customers. EPIC does not direct utility planning, and its work does not substitute for the integrated resource plans and other filings utilities make. A utility proposing to retire a fossil-fired generating unit must come to EPIC first, but EPIC does not decide whether the retirement happens.

The Kentucky Public Service Commission regulates utility rates and service and makes decisions on cases brought before it. EPIC provides independent analysis and assessments but holds no regulatory or rate-setting authority. For proposed generating unit retirements, EPIC submits its findings to the PSC, which must consider them and address that consideration in its written order. Final decisions remain with the PSC.

The Energy and Environment Cabinet administers the state’s energy and environmental programs and permitting. EPIC does not permit, license, or enforce. The Cabinet Secretary sits on EPIC’s board, and the statute directs state agencies to provide EPIC the data it needs within 30 days of a request.

The General Assembly makes energy policy for the Commonwealth. EPIC provides the legislature with information, assessments, and studies so those decisions rest on a solid factual footing. EPIC does not set policy. The statute reserves to the General Assembly alone the power to reorganize or restructure the Commission.

Regional transmission organizations and neighboring states make decisions that reach into Kentucky. EPIC follows that work closely and helps Kentucky participate in it with one voice rather than several.

EPIC operates at the intersection of these institutions, bringing together the information, expertise, and perspectives needed to assess Kentucky’s energy future as a whole. Its responsibility is to ensure the Commonwealth has a comprehensive and long-term view of its energy needs and the choices ahead.